Structural material



Feb. 17. 1925'. y1,526,470

fvH. F. FREASE STRUCTURAL MATERIAL Filed oct. 1. 192s 2 sheets-sheet 1C@999999999999 'N0-99999999 v -lj999999999999999999 l 9 9 9 99999,0 9 9@Honnef Feb. 17. 1925.

H. F. FREASE STRUCTURAL MATERIAL Filed Oct. 1. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2[h1-Jenin' Hu mrihal FL'cZdE'ea/m,

ff 94m WM Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED .STATES PATENT oFFlcE.-

HURXTHL FIELD IlIItCEiASll,- 0F BSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNR 0FONE-HALF T0 GEORGE HIVES DAWSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STRUCTURAL MATERIAL.

Application led October 1, 1923.` Serial No. 665,880.

ToaZZ who'm'z't may concern:

Be itv known that I, Hunx'rr-IAL FIELD FREASE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at4 Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful 'Improvements in ,StructuralMaterials, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to improvements in structural materials of the unitclass, whereby a plurality of similar sheet units may be combinedv toVbuild up cellular structures having a formation similar to that of ahoneycomb, and preferably comprising a plurality of elongated cellswhich are .designed to be used among other things as combined forms andreinforcing for concrete construction.

The objects of my improvement are: First, to provide a sheet cellularunit capable of economical production and assemblage, and ofuniversality of use;

Second,l to provide a unit, which when used repetitively for concreteforms and reinforcing, will eliminate the necessity for wooden forms;

Third, to provide a concrete form and reinforcing which shall be apermanent part of the completed structure, and which will enable theproper disposition of the materials used inl order to attain maximumstrength withl minimum volume of materials;

Fourth, to provide a concrete form and reinforcing unit which may beused at one end the same time as studding and lath;

Fifth, to provide a concrete form and reinforcing unit which will enablethe construction of hollow, straight or tapered, columns, beams, orwalls;

Sixth, to provide a concrete form and reinforcing which when used forthe construction of structural. members such as beams.

. for assembling the fundamental sheet units used to build up thecellular structures, so

thatl the resulting cellular structure will be sog,

made of one integral piece of sheet material. rSeveral practical meansof attaining these objects are illustrated by the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a plan viewof one form ofthe fundamental sheetcellular unit;

Fig. 2, an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 4, a plan View of a cellular structure built up by the use of aplurality of the fundamental units; A

Fig. 5, a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 6, a lan view of a hollow walled structure mac e up of thecombination of the built-up cellular structure and a poured or otherwiseapplied plastic substance capable of setting or hardening afterapplication;

Fig. 7, a plan view, which may be at VIL-VII, Fic'. 8, showing the useof a modification of the fundamental unit as in the erection of a hollowapproximately cylindrical cellular structure which may or .may not havestraight walls; and

Similar numerals refer to similar' parts throughout the several views.

The fundamental sheet unit 1, or its modifications 1, or 1, consistsessentially of alternately disposed abutment walls 2 and 3 joined byconnecting walls 4, the unit having when desired face anges 5, thepurpose of the face flanges being to form face walls for the cellularstructures.

The abutment walls with the connecting walls of each unit thus form oneor more salient ribs on one side of the sheet and two or more salientribs on the other side of the sheet, whichvribs are arranged to abutcorresponding salient ribs of like units to form cells.

It is preferable that all the salient ribs have like abutment faces 2and 3, s'o that when the unitsl are being assembled it makes nodifference which side of a given unit abuts the next adjacent unit.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, a simple form of thefundamental unit is attained by disposing the abutment walls 2 and 3 inparallel planes, and by making the line joints 7 between walls 2 and 4,and 2 and 5, and the line joints 8 between walls y3 and 4, all paralleleach with the others; but desirable modifications of the fundamentalunit are attained by disposing walls 2 and 3 in non-parallel planes asin Figs. 7 and 8, and by making the line joints 7 non-parallel with eachother or with line joints 8 at certain intersections, such as thoseillustrated in the fragmentary cross-section of Fig. 8.

Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate how cellular structures may be builtup from a plurality of the fundamental units by merely joining the walls2 and 2, and 3 and 3 together, as by spot-welding or the like, so thatthe line joints 7 and 7, and 8 and 8 of the abutting units register eachwith each. Thus by the use of unpierced sheet units, cellular sheetstructures may be made.

It is hence possible by the use of the present invention to form aplurality of adjacent and abutting polygonal cells of any desiredlength, the length being preferably greater than the diameter of thecell. Where it is desired to' fill certain of the cells thus formed, as9 and 10 in Fig. 6, with a plastic or pourable substance such asconcrete which hardens upon setting; and in order to join the cells thusfilled, each with the next abutting or adjacent to form a monolithicstructure; abutment walls 2 and 3 may be perforated as b means ofapertures 11 which are designe to register when the similar abutmentwalls 2 and 2, and 3 and 3 are joined; and which apertures may also bemade in the flanges 5 for the purpose of permitting the plastic materialto seep through from the poured cells to form the outer surfaces l2 and13 of the hollow cellular monolithic structure thus formed, illustratedin Fig. 6.

On the other hand one side flange 5 of a unit 1" may be leftunperforated as shown in Fig. 8.

Likewise, connecting walls 4 may be left unperforated as illustrated, ormay be perforated if for any reason it is desired, for instance, thatthe total Volume between surfaces. 12 and 13 of Fig. 6 be filled with aplastic, hardening material.

Equally spaced transverse outs 14 and 15 across the channel sheet unit1, leaving parallel bonds 16 and 17, provide a ready means whereby theso formed equal lengths of unit 1 may be folded at bonds 16 and 17 backand forth to form the integral cellular structure shown in Figs. 4, 5and 6. In certain cases it may be desirable to space the transverse cuts14 and 15 at unequal distances from each other, as f or instance, inmaking the forms and reinforcing for the end wall of the building havinga sloping roof.

The fragmentary section in Fig. 8, illustrates a rectangular form ofperforation Y and clearly shows the bonds 18 of hardened terial at andnear surfaces such as 12 and- 13 in Fig. 6, thus most eflicientlymeeting tht demands of form and strength; and at the same time havingair spaces 2l between the rows of hardened monolithic material.

lVhile the drawings for convenience of illustration show only sheetmaterial plain or perforated, the use of expanded marerial such as metallath is contemplated to form the units of the present invention.

The fact that the present invention may be used in the construction vofmonolithic beams or columns so that all tension stresses set up in thestructural member so constructed will be absorbed by compression in themonolithic material of the member is obvious from an examination ofFigs. 4, and 5.

Let the longitudinal axes of the polygonal cells be substantiallyparallel to the direction of deiiection of the member. lf there be. nomonolithic material in these cells, tension will tend to causedisplacement away from each 'other of cell walls disposed across theline of action of the tension forces, and towards each other of cellwalls disposed along the line of action of the tension forces. Obviouslythe presence .of a monolithic mat/arial in the cells will cause aresistance to any sort of displacement whatever of the cell walls. Thisresistance will in all cases be compression upon the monolithic materialin the cells.

I claim:

1. A. cellular structure comprising a plurality of units combined toform a plurality of elongated polygonal cells, each unit having spacedrows of spaced abutment walls and connecting walls therefor, the

spaced abutment walls of the units registering and abutting with eachother to form the cellular structure.

2. A sheet unit comprising spaced rows of spaced abutment walls andconnectin walls therefor, the abutment walls being a alike to abut andregister with like walls of other units to form elongated cells.

3. A cellular structure comprising a pluralityof elongated cells formedfrom a plurality of units, each unit having one set of spaced abutmentwalls in one plane, another set of spaced abutment walls in anotherplane, and walls connecting the one set with the other set, the spacedabutment walls of adjoining cell units registering and 4being all aliketo abut and register with lielglie walls of other units to formelongated c s.

5. A cellular structure having disposed face walls and a plurality ofcells between the facel walls, the' cells and face walls being formedfrom a plurality of units, each unit comprising one set of spacedabutment walls in one plane, another set of spaced abutment walls inanother plane, walls connecting the one set with the other set, and faceflanges on the outermost spaced abutment Walls7 the abutment walls andface flanges of the unit abutting and registering with the abutmentwalls and face anges of other -units to form the cells and face walls ofthe cellular structure.

6. A sheet unit comprising one set of spaced abutment walls in oneplane, another set of spaced abutment walls in another plane, wallsconnecting the one set with the other set, and face flanges on theoutermost spaced abutment walls, the abutment walls and -aceflanges ofthe unit abutting and registering with like walls of other units to forma cellular structure having face walls.

7. A sheet unit comprising one set of spaced abutment walls in oneplane, another set of spaced abutment walls i'n another plane, and wallsconnecting the one set with the other set, some of the abutment wallshaving apertures therein, the abutment walls of the unit abutting andregistering with the like walls of other units to form elongated cells.

`8. A sheet unit comprising one set of spaced abutment walls, anotherset of spaced abutment walls, Walls connecting the one set with theother, and spaced cuts alternating across one set of s aced abutmentwalls and the connecting wa s and across the other set aced abutmentwalls and the connecting the distance between the spaced cuts beingmsuchthat the joined abutment walls may alternately bent back and forth upontleirselves to form a plurality of elongated c 9. A cellular structurecomp Y a plurality of separate units, each unit inc uding spaced rows ofspaced abutment walls and connecting walls therefor, the spaced abutmentwalls of the units'registering and abutting with each other to formelongated cells, there being apertures in some of the abutment walls anda bonding material in some of the cells which is continuous through theapertures and bonds the c'ells together.

10. A cellular structure comprising a plurality of elongated cellsformed from a plurality of units, each unit having spaced rows of spacedabutment walls and connecting walls therefor, the abutment walls of theunits abutting and registering with each other to form the cellularstructure, there being means fastening the units together.

11. A cellular structure comprising a plurality of elongated cellsformed from a plurality of sheet units, each sheet unit having one ormore salient ribs on one side and two or more salient ribs on the otherside abutting like ribs of other units to form the cellular structure.

12. A sheet unit formed with one or more salient ribs on one side andtwo or more salient ribs on the other side, the salient ribs havingvfaces for abutment with like salient rib faces of other units to formelongated cells.

13. A sheet unit formed with one or more salient ribs on one side andtwo or more salient ribs on the other side, all the ribs having likeabutment faces for abutting like rib faces of other units to formelongated cells.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I hereunto set my hand.

HURXTHAL FIELD FREASE.

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